


No Beginning, No End

by nekosmuse_archive (nekosmuse)



Category: The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Genre: Brian/JD, First Time, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:47:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23534773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekosmuse/pseuds/nekosmuse_archive
Summary: Written pre 2005. Posting for archival purposes.Every end has a beginning.
Kudos: 1





	No Beginning, No End

He used to like the rain.

Used to spend countless hours staring out his window, watching it plaster against the glass, shatter against the pavement on the streets below.

He knows it's just rain, nothing compared to what they experienced in New York, but the thought doesn't lessen his apprehension and he finds himself watching it nervously. Shifting restlessly from his place by the tent door and trying not to picture the entire camp filling up with water.

"You packed already?" Brian looks just as nervous as J.D. feels, his hands twitching by his sides as he peers anxiously over his shoulder.

"Yeah, you?" J.D. asks, blocking out the rain, concentrating instead on Brian's presence.

"Yeah."

It feels like they only just got here, except it's been almost a year and J.D. knows, no matter how long they stay, the camp will never truly feel like home. He's not sure anywhere will ever feel like home, but for the first time in longer than he can remember, there's hope.

Most of the north is still buried under feet of snow; a frozen wasteland, the last remnants of civilization nothing more than grave markers. But every month the frost line creeps back, a little further each day, and J.D.'s starting to think he might actually see the rebuilding of America in his lifetime.

He's seeing the first phases now. The migration of refugee camps from foreign soil back into the homeland. The reclaiming of abandoned cities and it terrifies him as much as it excites him. He's grown used to the status quo, camp life, and now that it's over, he's not certain where that leaves him, or Brian.

"We should go, the buses are waiting," J.D. says, doing one final scan of their sleeping quarters and shouldering his bag.

Brian doesn't respond, his own gear already strapped to his back. Together they pick their way through the tangle of remaining tents. Past waiting army trucks and when they finally get to the civilian buses, they're both soaked to the bone. The entire area is nothing more than chaotic noise, people pressed together in huddles to keep warm. The rain is still cold.

J.D. leads them to one of the end buses, shaking tiny drops of water from his hair as he ducks inside and scans for available seats. There are two at the back, side by side, and he glances over his shoulder to ensure Brian's still following before heading down the aisle towards them.

They're probably not the best seats; they're sitting directly across from the lavatories and he practically chokes as the scent of industrial cleaner assaults his senses. It's better than the alternative, though, so J.D. forces himself to breathe, moving aside to let Brian claim the window seat, away from the tiny bathroom.

There's not much room, their bags shoved under the seats in front of them and the bus filled to capacity. They wait what seems endless minutes, watching as passengers appear through the front doors and scurry to find seating. They continue to wait, even after the bus is full, until the crowd outside dissipates, the camp empty and abandoned.

"How long is this trip?" Brian asks, turning away from the window to make eye contact with J.D..

"Eight hours, I think," J.D. replies, sinking a little lower in his seat and closing his eyes.

He's not certain he'll be able to sleep, but it beats struggling against the certain nausea that will come with a rocking bus and unpaved roads. Besides, maybe when he wakes up, his clothes will be dry.

~*~

He wakes cold and damp, nervous ripples of conversation filling the bus and he peers past Brian at the landscape outside the window. The border is nothing like he expected, practically deserted and he wonders what happened to all the cars. When they'd flown over, there'd been a line; a multi-coloured snake of shining metal stretching in every direction. They're gone now, replaced by dust and litter and so much emptiness, he finds himself shivering.

"How long was I asleep?" he asks, stretching his arms above his head to work out the trip's kinks.

"A couple of hours," Brian replies, his gaze locked out the window and J.D. nods, shaking his head a moment later because Brian can't see him.

"Sorry."

He's not certain why he's apologizing. He thinks maybe he should have stayed awake, kept Brian company. But he was tired, he's still tired and he can't remember the last time he felt truly rested.

"For what?" Brian asks, echoing his thoughts and J.D. laughs under his breath.

"Nothing."

He doesn't recognize anyone else on the bus, but there's a small convoy of buses ahead of them, and he knows Sam and Laura are probably on one of them. Unless of course they were airlifted along with Sam's dad and it still doesn't seem fair. He doesn't say anything, even though, part of him wants to.

"What do you think they're going to do with us?" Brian asks suddenly, finally turning away from the window and J.D. can't help but notice the fear in his eyes.

"I don't know," he replies, reaching into the space between them to link their fingers together. "We'll be fine, though, we just need to stick together."

In truth, he's not sure that's enough. He's thought about it pretty much every minute since they announced it. Part of him is terrified they'll send them to stay with foster families. Another part of him is terrified they'll leave them to fend for themselves. He's not sure which idea bothers him more.

"I bet Jack would let us stay with him," Brian says, his tone hopefully and J.D. squeezes his hand.

"Yeah, he would," J.D. answers, smiling something close to reassurance and when Brian returns his smile, J.D. finds himself grinning.

~*~

They spend the better part of the trip alternating between dozing off and talking softly. The rest of the time they just sit, pressed together as close as they can given the confines of the bus, and watch the passing landscape. It doesn't look much different, still endless stretches of dirt and land. He's not sure why, but he was expecting something to have changed. Some obvious sign that they'd finally come home.

The sun is just setting as the first sign of civilization comes into view. San Antonio stretches out before them, looming like an oasis and J.D. finds himself tensing. He presses a little closer to Brian, peering out the window and watching as the single lane highway merges into a freeway, tendrils of off-ramps surrounding them like threads in a spider's web.

He was half expecting to enter a ghost town, but the city is humming with energy, people rushing through the streets, clearing debris and broken glass. Others unload trucks, carrying off provisions into waiting buildings. The bus rolls to a stop next to a large white tent that's surrounded by uniformed men. J.D. assumes they must be the National Guard.

He remains seated, waiting for the rest of the passengers to clear off before finally standing. He leads Brian off the bus, out onto the street, the air significantly cooler than it was in Mexico.

"Looks like this is it," J.D. comments, filing into the back of a line of civilians, no one seeming to know what they're supposed to be doing.

They were registered, at the camp, their names and personal information filed away in some sort of catalogue. He imagines they simply want to confirm that, yes, they did indeed make it. He watches as people stream through the tent, stopping at a small table before being ushered into waiting groups. The groups are led into the surrounding buildings, several into a church across the way, several into the local library and more still into the high school next door.

"You don't think they'll separate us, do you?" Brian asks, rocking on the balls of his feet and waiting for J.D.'s reply.

J.D. doesn't know how to answer. The problem is, he doesn't know. He can't imagine why they would, but there's still a chance, however slim. Still, Brian doesn't need to know that, so J.D. shakes his head, grabbing Brian's arm and pulling him forward as the line moves up.

"We won't let them," he says, mostly to reassure himself, but Brian nods, like he knew all along J.D. would have the answer.

~*~

As it turns out, they're not separated. The chaos that's surrounded the trip appears to have a system. It took him a while to figure it out, but now that he has, it does make sense. He knows this won't be their final destination. Tomorrow they'll start finding permanent places for everyone, until then, they'll stay here, sleeping on cots in the high school's gymnasium.

The air is thick with the scent of sweat. Hushed murmurs fade into background noise as J.D. follows Brian until they find two unoccupied cots near the fire exit. They've placed parentless kids and families in a high school that's been converted into a temporary shelter. There's even less privacy here than there was back in Mexico -at least there they'd been sleeping fifty to a tent, here there's close to four-hundred.

He tells himself to ignore it, that it's just temporary, and he shoves his bag under the cot. He watches as Brian does the same, shifting the tiny bed until it's closer to J.D.'s. He doubts they'll get away with sharing a cot. It was one thing to wait until after lights out back at the refugee camp, here there are guards and endless seas of people.

"God, I'm starving," Brian comments, flopping down onto his cot and staring up at the ceiling.

"Yeah, me too," J.D. replies, wondering if they'll be forced to fend for themselves or if they've set up some sort of mess hall.

His question is answered almost immediately, small tables being brought into the room and set up beneath the scoreboard. He watches as food is brought in, set up almost haphazardly along the tables.

"Come on," he says, standing and moving toward the table. He knows first hand what waiting will get them, and while there's always enough to go around, what's left isn't usually appealing.

~*~

He's been lying in the dark for nearly an hour when he finally gives up trying to sleep. He wants to, his body aching and tired, but he's finding it next to impossible without Brian by his side. He's not certain when he got so used to falling asleep next to the other boy. Probably a couple of months ago, he thinks, but he suspects it's been longer than that. Besides, the room is still buzzing with activity, hushed voices echoing around the room and he doesn't think he'll ever know silence again.

"Brian?" he whispers to the darkness, squinting until Brian's form comes into view.

"Yeah?" Brian answers, obviously just as awake as J.D. and J.D. finds himself smiling.

He slides out from beneath his blankets, tossing them aside and slipping into the small space between the cots.

"Come on," he says, reaching for Brian's hand and pulling until Brian finally gives in and lets J.D. drag him from the warm confines of his bed.

"Where are we going?" Brian asks, shivering despite the multiple layers of clothing he wore to bed.

"Someplace without people," J.D. answers, skirting along the outside of the room and toward the main doors.

It takes some doing, cots literally crammed wall to wall, but eventually they make it out. He gives the guard some excuse about needing to use the bathroom, accepting the man's directions with a nod and a tug on Brian's arm. It's not until they're in the hall, alone, that he releases a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"J.D., he said the bathrooms were this way," Brian argues as J.D. pulls him off into one of the lightless halls.

"I know, that's not where we're going," J.D. replies with a smirk.

It still surprises him, just how naive Brian can be. It's cute, endearing in a way that should embarrass him. It doesn't, but he's had time to get used to the small fluttering of his heart anytime Brian's clueless side comes out.

"In here," J.D. finally says, sliding into a dark classroom and closing the door behind him.

The room looks like every other classroom he's ever been in. Blackboard along the front, rows upon rows of tables and chairs lining the rest of the room. It's quiet though, and private, and he's more than willing to ignore the scenery if it means he finally gets a chance to touch Brian.

"Oh," Brian says, clueing in as J.D. wraps his hands around the other boy's waist, pulling him flush and backing him against the far wall.

"Yeah," he echoes, closing the distance between them and pressing his lips against the corner of Brian's mouth.

He's been thinking about this all day, since their last encounter this morning, before they became preoccupied with packing. Just this, the feel of Brian's lips playing against his own, the tiny thrusts of Brian's hips as he tries to get closer, and the feel of Brian's fingers clenching against the material of J.D.'s sweater as he leans into the kiss.

They're both still wearing too many clothes, though, so J.D. pulls away, ignoring the chill of the room as he slides, first his sweater, and then his t-shirt over his head, tossing them onto one of the desks before reaching for Brian. It takes him several tries to find skin. Brian's wearing at least four shirts, offering up a sheepish, guilty expression when J.D. shakes his head and laughs.

"It was supposed to be really cold," Brian says by way of explanation.

"Not that cold," J.D. says, finally getting off Brian's last remaining t-shirt and adding it to the pile.

And that's better, because they're skin to skin, heat radiating between them and warming J.D. in a way no clothing ever could. He's half tempted to suggest they stop, pile their clothes onto the floor in some sort of makeshift bed. He doesn't, knowing anyone could come by at anytime and the last thing either of them needs is someone finding out about them. Not when it could mean separation, and that's the last thing either of them wants.

Besides, there's something nice about having Brian pinned to a wall, his hands trapped against the small of Brian's back, and when Brian arches forward, J.D. uses the opportunity to pull Brian even closer.

"What if they come looking for us?" Brian asks, breaking away long enough to make eye contact.

J.D. makes a negative sound in the back of his throat, inching forward to reinitiate the kiss before answering. "Like who?" he asks between kisses, punctuating each word with a nip of Brian's lips.

He's fairly certain the only person who knows they're gone is the guard, and J.D. doubts he'd even remember letting two kids out to use the bathroom. Even if he did, they wouldn't know where to start looking, so J.D.'s fairly certain no one's going to interrupt them.

His answer seems good enough for Brian and once again the room become silent, the only sound, muffled moans and grunts as the kiss intensifies. It's still not enough, though, so J.D. reaches between them, fumbling with Brian's zipper until it finally gives way. He slides his hand inside, fingers pushing past Brian's boxers to wrap around his cock.

Brian bucks forward at the sensation, rocking into J.D.'s fist and breaking the kiss to pant against J.D.'s neck. They've done this more times than J.D. can count, but he never gets tired of it. Not when it means getting to see Brian completely out of control. It's beyond hot, and even though he can't see from this angle, the knowledge that Brian's blushing just makes it hotter.

He's so busy concentrating on the feel of Brian's cock in his hand that he doesn't notice Brian moving until his fingers ghost over J.D.'s erection. J.D. lets out a shuddering moan, thrusting forward into Brian's hand and when Brian pulls away to fumble with his zipper, J.D. can't help but whimper.

It makes him feel needy, desperate even, and it takes Brian way too long to get J.D.'s pants open. Just when he thinks he can't take it any longer, the zipper gives way, Brian's hand inching inside and finally making contact. The angle's a little awkward, but it doesn't take them long to find a rhythm. Stroking in perfect unison, hips bucking and every so often J.D. pulls them together, letting their heads brush together.

Way too soon Brian's tensing, his hand stilling as he shudders through his orgasm and J.D. has to fight not to push aside Brian's hand and finish himself off. He waits, a mere heartbeat, but it seems like an eternity passes before Brian's moving again. Strokes rough and frantic, designed to get J.D. off as quick as he can and J.D. can tell he's still nervous about getting caught.

He distracts Brian by pressing their lips together, sliding his tongue into the other boy's mouth and kissing with more determination than skill. Brian's hand slows, his strokes becoming a little more measured and just like that, J.D.'s coming between them, warm wetness spilling across his stomach, into his hand and onto the floor.

He breaks away panting, opening his eyes to stare at the mess between them and this he should have been prepared for. Fortunately Brian seems capable of moving and he grabs one of his discarded shirts, cleaning first himself, then J.D. before tossing the shirt into the room's garbage pail.

"We should get back," Brian says, already slipping back into his clothes and all J.D. can do is laugh.

Still, he takes his time getting dressed, pausing every so often to kiss Brian whenever he thinks Brian might freak out. It becomes almost a game of sorts, Brian tensing every time they hear a noise, J.D. easing his apprehension with a kiss, a caress of the arm. He's fairly certain Brian doesn't actually relax until they're making their way back into the gym.

"You boys get lost?" The guard asks when they push through the doors, frowning like he knows far more than he's letting on and J.D. offers him a small smirk.

"Yeah, it's a maze out there," he replies over his shoulder, hoping no one will notice the flush creeping up Brian's neck.

The room is fairly quiet by the time they make it back to their cots, the lights even dimmer and J.D. risks reaching out to lace his fingers with Brian's, squeezing lightly before pulling away and climbing into his own bed. This time he falls asleep within minutes.

~*~

Morning brings a new sense of chaos. People hastily repacking after their night of refuge, grabbing their morning rations and heading back out to the army tents. The lines already stretch around the street, but before J.D. and Brian can make it to the end, they spot Sam and Laura, already about half way up the line.

"Hey, guys, over here," Laura calls, waving them down and J.D. nods, grabbing Brian's arm, more out of a need for contact than necessity, and leading him to the small space in the line she's saved for them.

"Hey, have you guys heard yet?" Sam asks, and J.D. notes that's he's holding Laura's hand, looking just as frightened of losing her as J.D. is of losing Brian.

The sight makes him smile and he nods almost approvingly before processing the question.

"Heard what?" Brian asks, obviously paying far more attention than J.D..

"They're setting UTSA up as a school. That's where they're sending us," Sam answers.

"We get to live in dorm rooms. It's like going to college early," Laura chimes in, sounding far too excited and J.D. has to remind himself that not everyone went away for boarding school.

He has to admit, though, the thought of going back to school, actually moving forward instead of staying in their current state of limbo, does sound appealing. Besides, this way he gets to stay with Brian and, if they're lucky, they can even share a dorm room.

~*~

Epilogue:

He's obviously out of practice, because he's still working on the same problem and Brian's already moved past the night's math homework and onto English. It's ridiculous, because he knows this stuff, or at least, he used to.

"Aren't you done that yet?" Brian asks, rubbing salt in the wound and J.D. shoots him a scathing look.

"I would have finished it by now if you hadn't been distracting me," J.D. comments, shaking his head and turning back to his text book.

"Hey, I wasn't doing anything," Brian protests, holding his hands out in mock surrender and J.D. can't help but smile.

Because technically, Brian's right, he wasn't doing anything. Besides sitting there, face a perfect mask of concentration, chewing on his bottom lip as he solved each problem in turn. His lip is still swollen, red and moist like they've spent the night sucking each other off rather than doing homework. So maybe it is Brian's fault.

"To start, you could stop sucking on that pen, it's very distracting," J.D. continues, pushing aside his books and crossing the room to climb onto Brian's bed.

They rarely use it, except when they need space to study, or are expecting friends to drop by. But even then it's just to mess it up so that it actually looks slept in. Brian glances up when the bed sags, giving J.D. his most innocent look before turning back to his tattered copy of T.S. Eliot.

"And this ignoring me thing, that's also very distracting," J.D. says, reaching forward to pluck the pen from Brian's mouth, tossing it onto the floor before reaching for his text books.

They too join the floor, resting in a messy pile and, for a moment, J.D. thinks Brian might actually complain. He doesn't give him the chance, shifting forward into Brian's lap, pushing until he has Brian pinned to the bed, trapped beneath J.D.'s weight.

"Now that I have your full attention," J.D. begins, pausing to press a light kiss to the corner of Brian's mouth. "We can go over excuses for why I wasn't able to finish my homework. This is a good one," J.D. suggests, settling between Brian's legs and rolling their hips together.

"Oh yeah, definitely a plausible excuse," Brian answers, thrusting back, a small smile playing across his lips.

"And this," J.D. continues, arching forward to nuzzle Brian's neck.

"Don't forget this," Brian says, tilting his head and pulling on J.D.'s shirt until he can fit their mouths together.

"Mmm, yeah, that's a good one," J.D. mumbles between kisses, pausing long enough to gently suck on Brian's bottom lip.

Brian arches back, wrapping his legs around J.D.'s waist, and J.D.'s fairly certain homework can wait.


End file.
